No. 7 Providence keeps rolling, stops No. 1 Hough in battle of top area baseball teams.
In a battle of two Observer Sweet 16 teams, the Providence Panthers won in dramatic fashion, beating crosstown rival Hough 5-4.
Hough is No. 1 in The Sweet 16 poll of the region’s top teams. Providence, which won its 13th straight game, is No. 7.
Providence relief pitcher Brady Thompson came up big for his team, coming in during the top of the seventh inning and getting the closing strikeout. In the bottom of the final inning, Thompson hit a solo homer to tie the game.
The Panthers would then get a runner on third before a Husky fielding error brought the game-winning, walk-off run home.
“It was obviously a huge at-bat for Brady Thompson,” Panthers’ head coach Danny Hignight said. “I think overall we did a solid job staying patient tonight and waiting on the good pitches to hit.”
Thompson was overcome with emotion after the game, but he didn’t focus on himself.
“I couldn’t do this without my teammates,” Thompson said. “They had my back the whole time. They (Hough) were chirping at me the whole time, but it is what it is. That is just baseball. But my teammates are family and I would compete with them all day.”
It was a big win for a Providence team that started the seaon 2-3.
Hough came into the matchup with a 15-2 record, one of the best in the state. Hignight – still processing the win – felt as if this win could better boost his squad’s confidence because it just beat the top team in the area.
“These guys better be confident because they have worked their tails off and they are prepared,” Hignight said.
Providence (16-4) will face rival Ardrey Kell Saturday, in the first of two matchups with the powerhouse Knights in the regular-season.
“Ardrey Kell is a great team,” Thompson said. “We have to come out and get ahead early. We are hot right now, so we need to stay hot and get to work in practice and I think we will get them on Saturday.”
THREE WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE
Brady Thompson, Providence: Thompson gave the team the energy boost it needed to get over the edge in the latter innings of the game with his pitching and hitting. Hignight made the right move by putting him in with just one out to go in the top of the seventh, and it paid dividends.
Holden Phillips, Hough: Phillips started for the Huskies on the mound and had a solid showing. He had four strikeouts on the game and really gave it everything he had before he was pulled in the bottom of the 5th inning, likely due to pitch count.
Sam Dansky, Providence: The Charlotte 49er commit went 2-for-3 at the plate. batting a few runs in as well.
WHAT’S NEXT?
▪ Hough has a quick turnaround and will travel to Kernersville to face the top team in the NCHSAA 4A classification, the East Forsyth Eagles on Thursday, April 20 at 7 p.m. Providence gets a few short days of rest before playing their rival Ardrey Kell on Saturday, April 22, also at 7 p.m.
SCORING SUMMARY
Hough: 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 – 4
Providence: 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 – 5
WP: Jake McCoy (3.0 IP, 3K, 3BB, 3ER)
LP: Holden Phillips (5.0 IP, 4K, 2BB, 2ER)
PHOTOS: Hough at Providence baseball
